Propeller.



W. REIFERSCHEID.

PROPELLER.

APPLICATION men 020.18. 2911.

Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

ca rn WILLIAM REIFERSCHEID, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PROPELLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

Application filed December 18, 1917. Serial No. 207,666.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM REIFER- SCHEID, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Propellers, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of my specification.

My invention relates to a propeller for displacing air, being more especially adapted for use in connection with air craft; and has for its object the provision of a propeller which is built entirely of thin sheet metal, but which will be durable and possess the necessary strength.

The invention contemplates a construction provided with a multiple of blades which are secured at their inner ends to a suitable disk or flange secured to the hub, while the outer ends of the respective blades are fastened by suitable brace-members, some of which are secured to a circumferential reinforcing frame, while others are directly connected to the hub; the respective blades being formed of a continuous sheet of metal curved substantially into wing shape; the blades being given a double curvature, namely a suitable curvature from the inner to the outer end of the blade and a curvature from the forward or cutting edge to the rear edge; the curvature being of a pitch which will provide great pulling or displacing power.

The advantages of my improved construction will be more fully comprehended from the detailed description of the drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of what may be termed the forward side of my improved propeller. Y V

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

In the particular exemplification of the invention, the propeller comprises a central portion in the nature of a disk or stay-plate 10 which may be secured to a shaft or constitute a flange formed integral with a hubportion 11, see Fig. 2, adapted to receive and be secured to the shaft 12, whereby power to the propeller is imparted.

I propose formin my improved propeller of thin. sheet metal, with each blade 13 formed from a continuous sheet and given a predetermined curvature or pitch which will offer the greatest resistance to the air or diminished according to the use for which the propeller is intended.

Each blade 13 is made arcuate or curved from end to end, as more clearly shown in Fig. 2; that is, the blades are formed to describe the are of a circle disposed radially from the center member 10, and therefore at right angles to the axis of the propeller, with the outer end of the forward portion or cutting edge 14- of the blade disposed, substantially, in the same plane as the inner cutting or forward edge of the blade. The outer end of the blade at its forward or cutting edge is provided with a brace member 15 disposed perpendicular to the outer end of the blade, that is, substantially at right angles to the horizontal plane occupied by the ends of the blade. The opposite end of the brace member 15 is suitably securcd to a circumferential framemember or ring 16. The member 16 is of a diameter similar to that of the circle described by the blades; the member 16 being arranged in spaced relation with the blades: member 16 being at a distance from the plane occupied by disk 10 or inner ends of the blades, substantially equal to or slightly greater than the degree of rearward curvature of the blades, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The transverse dimension or width of the respective blades increases from the inner ends toward the outer ends thereof, see Fig. 1; and the inner ends are preferably formed or provided with an angular portion or flange 17 disposed in the direction of the face or convexed side of the blades; the flangesbeing also secured to the disk 10. The angularly disposed portions or flanges 17 increase in width from the front end toward the rear end of the blade, by reason of the downward curvature of the blades.

The curvature of the blades, both transversely and lengthwise of the blades, provides what may be termed a wing shape construction, wherein the rear edge 18 of each blade is disposed in a plane considerably removed from the plane of the forward or cutting edge of the blade; in other words, with the propeller in the position illustrated in Fig. 2, the rearward edge 18 of each blade 13 is disposed in a horizontal plane considerably beneath the horizontal plane occupied by the forward or cutting edge 14. of the blade. It is clearly evident with the construction shown and described, that the propeller will exert a great pulling force when revolved at proper speed in the right direction; the pulling force being eX- erted in the direction of the curvature or convexity of the blades.

In the specific illustration of the invention, the increased transverse dimensions of each blade toward the outer end and the rearward curvature thereof is such that the rearward outer end of the blade will be spaced from the forward. cutting edge of the succeeding. blade, a distance, substantially. four times the distance that the rearward inner end of the blade is removed from the forward cutting edge at the end of the succeeding blade.

The rearward outer end of each blade is secured to the circumferential frame member or ring 16 by means of a suitable brace or tie-member 19, see Fig. 2. The circumferential frame-member 16 is preferably shown provided, with a circumferential flange portion 20, disposed toward the blades, which provides an additional brace and reinforcement for the ends of the brace members 15 and 19.

The circumferential frame-member 16, in turn, is provided with radially disposed braces or spokes 21, preferably spaced equidistances apart, with their inner ends secured tothe disk or flange portion 22 which may be secured to the shaft or to the hub-member 23. The outer, forward or cutting edgeof each blade is alSO provided with a diagonally disposed brace member 24, the opposite end whereof is properly secured to the flange22.

The hub-portions 11 and 23 may be made integral and thus assist in maintainig the proper spaced relation between the inner ends of the blades and disk 10 and the inner endsof the members or spokes 2]. and disk 22 or the hub-portions 11 and23 maybe as shown in Fig. 2 and so securedto the'shaftportion 12 as to prevent any movement lengthwise of the shaft. l/Vith the construction shown and described, a veryrigid propeller isprovided adapted to withstand the strainsto which it is subjected in the rapid revolution thereof; the propeller being adapted; for use either in connection with air craft or for'displacing air in air, ducts and 1 the like. 7

I have shown and; described-what I- believe to 1 be the simplest an'dbest form of nay/invention, but the same may be modified certain respects without, however, de-

parting from the, spirit of the invention.

What 1 claim is: 1. A propeller, comprising a center plate having a hub or shaft-engaging portion, aplurality of blades secured at their inner ends to said plate and radiating therefrom, the'blades being curved in lengthwise and transverse directions, with the rear edges of theblades disposed in a different plane from that occupied by the forward edges, a circumferential frame-member arranged in spaced relation with the outer ends of the blades, and brace-members intermediate of the outer ends of the blades and said circumferential fraine members.

2. A propeller, comprising a hubportion, a plurality of blades secured at their inner ends to said hub portion and curved in lengthwise and transverse directions, with the inner and outer ends of the blades disposed in the same plane while the rear edges are disposed in a different plane from that occupied by the forward edges of the blades, a circumferential frame-member arranged in spaced relation with the outer ends of the blades, said frame member being of substantially the same diameter as the diameter of the circle described by the blades, and brace members intermediate of the outer ends of the blades and said circumferential frame member.

3. A propeller, comprising a-hub-portion, a plurality of thin sheet metal blades curved so as to describe the arcs of two circles disposed at right angles to each other, the blades being. of gradually increasing width from their inner to their outer ends, an elongated hub, means intermediate of the inner ends ofthe blade and one end of the hub for securing the bladesin place, a circumferential frame member, means where by said frame member is supported from the opposite end of said elongated hub, and brace members intermediate of the outer ends of the blades and said circumferential frame member.

1. A propeller, comprising an elongated hub-portion provided with a circumferential flange at each end thereof, a plurality of blades curved in transverse and lengthwise directions, the inner and outer ends of the blades being disposed in substantially the same plane while the rear edge of eachiblade is disposed in a diflerent plane from that occupied by the. forward cutting edge of each blade,,the. inner ends" of each blade b'eingsecuredto one of said circumferential flanges on the hub-portion, a circumferential frame member, radially. disposed means for securing said circumferential frame member to the flange at the opposite end of said hub, and brace members-intermediate of the outer .endsofthe blades and said circumferential framet'member.

5. A propeller, comprising a hub-portion,

a plurality of thin sheetmetal blades curved in directions lengthwise and transversely of the blades, the inner ends of the blades being secured to one end of the hub-portion, each blade being of increasing width from the inner toward the outer end thereof, with the rear edge of the blade disposed in a plane considerably removed from the plane occupied by the forward or cutting edge of each blade, and means intermediate of the outer end of each blade and the opposite end of said hub-portion whereby the blades are reinforced.

6. A propeller, comprising a hubportion, a plurality of thin sheet metal blades curved in lengthwise and transverse directions, the blades being of gradually increasing width from the inner toward the outer ends thereof, with the rear edge of each blade disposed into a plane beneath that occupied by the forward or cutting edge of each blade, a circumferential frame member of a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the circle described by the blades, brace members intermediate of said circumferential frame member and one end of the hubportion, brace members intermediate of the outer ends of the blades and said circumferential frame-member, and diagonally disposed brace members intermediate of the outer ends of the blades and one end of said hub-portion.

'7. A propeller, comprising a hub-portion, a plurality of blades curved in lengthwise and transverse directions, the inner ends of the blades being secured to one end of the hub-portion, a circumferential reinforcing member of diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the circle described by the blades, said circumferential member being secured to the opposite end of said hub-portion, and brace members intcrn'iediate of the thin sheet metal blades, each curved in lengthwise and transverse directions and of gradually increasing width from the inner toward the outer ends thereof, a circumferential frame-member of diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the circle described by the blades, and brace-members secured to the circumferential framememher and to the outer ends of the blades.

9. A propeller, comprising a hub-portion, a plurality of blades curved in lengthwise and transverse directions and of increasing width from the inner toward the outer ends thereof, and brace members intermediate of the outer ends of the blades and said hubportion.

10. A propeller, comprising a plurality of blades secured at their inner ends to a common axis or hub, the blades being of gradually increasing width from the inner ends toward the outer ends thereof, the blades being curved in lengthwise and transverse directions, the forward cutting edges of all the blades being disposed in the same plane, the transverse curvature of each blade being such that the rear edge of each blade is dis posed in a plane considerably removed from that occupied by the forward edge of the blade.

WILLIAM REIFERSOHEID. Witnesses:

GEORGE IIEIDMAN, F. A. FLORELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the -Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O." 

